Machine tool



Nov. 16, 1943.' D. D. wALLAcE MACHINE TOOL 3 Sheets-Sheet l 'Filed Feb. 16, 1940 Ihwcntor Nov. 16, 1943. D. D. wALLAcE 2334331 MACHINE TO0L Filed Feb. 16, 1940 sheets-sneet 2 Summer Gttorncu Nov. 16, 1943. A D. D. wALLAcE 2334331 MACHINE TOOL Filed Feb. 16, 1940 s sheets-sheet s "wh rr 3nnentor Donald D. Wllacq,

u a/'lz ZJ- Dake (Ittomeg Patented Nov. 16, 1943 UNI-TED sTAT i asamei My present invention relates to improveinents in machine tools and ,particularly'to machine tools for the production of`` circumferential'cams and rings for the pistons of lengines and theilike' wherein it is essential that the cams and particularly the, piston rings be very'ac'curate so that the piston rings'will bear against the wall of the engines cylinder uniforrnly throughout. their circumference in order that there will be no leakage of fluid pressure within the cylinder' past the piston on which' the 4pistonrings are mounted The several objects of improvements areQfirst, to produce a machine tool whereby cams, piston rings'v and other circumferential irregular shapes can be'produced in exact duplication; second, to provide a machine tool' whereby piston rings'can bel produced havingthe required peripheral' contour` for exerting uniform pressure against'l 'the cylinder wallfthroughout the' circurnference or periphery of thering; third, to produce a machine tool whereby cams can' be produced lin exact duplication in large' production; and fourth, to provide a machine tool that'can be 'employed in mass production of piston rings cheaply. v

These named' objectsandl those'objects vthat appear from a perusa-l of the followingidescripti'on are attained by the structure .disclosed' in the accompan'ying drawings, in which: i

Figure 1 is a `front elevation view of my' improved machine tool for'producing ca'ms and piston rings; in which a portion of the uppergear housing is broken out inorder that parts therein can be described. 1

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation view'of my 'improved machine-'tooL'the view being taken'on'line I-I of Figure 1; the greater portion |of the view being f in 'section inV order'thati theV parts Vtl'iereby disclosedmay be described; g i Figure 3` is a plan view ofthe work' turning mechanism as' taken' on' 'line V-V of'Figure 1, and looking downwardl'yfrom saidlline;

Figure 4 is a planvievv of. the tool supporting head and the mechanisrn by which the head is operated to feed the. tool to the work while being operated upon, the housing therefore being 'shown int section taken on line-X-AX of Figure 1; and

Figure2. i i

Figure 5 is an elevation view of the .cams by which thehorizontal feedxmovement of the. mili-' ing cutteri-toolis. moved to `thework while the machine isioperating in.machining the outer periphery'of the workzpiece.. i 1 .Figure v6 is a; view vlooking downwardl-y on 'the Vertical feed mechanismf-of thefinilling'-cutter.```v`` f, fr'hreughoutthe; drawig, sminr 'meralsiefe'r tosirnilar parts, anjd refer'r'ing' theret'o:

Nnm'eralQ 1' designates the `frame'Joy-which the mechanism; of the machine is supported; 21 the vbaelflo'fv the' machine;` 3' the top plat'e'n ofjth'e maplfine frame 4' the platen plate upon rwhich is supported the horizontal' feed came; 4'v the platen upon'` which issupported the worki thattis being;I machinved: 5 the work being' machined",` which is shown as a' piston' ring. 6 and 1 are the camjs whereby p the horizontalv f'eeidj'isj accom'p'lished through the caxn Vfoll'ow'ers and whichl follow the` cqntour ,of thej [cams 'and'` thereby move the Q cutting tool toward; and away` from the 'workj a's the mitting, tool is swngarond the work; Each fcl'lower has at `.its carns ngagingend an antifriction roll'erj IO bjy whichV` fr'iction' and weai'f on thjefcams are' mnimi'zed'; Th'elfollowers each have 'ext'e'nding rearward'ly" from;A them, lbearifngs. [2 anel'l [3 supported byisli `iab1e`frame M, having an 'extension carryin'g the: cutter head' 5, Yhas extending, therethrough' screw threa'ded studs IE 'anr1 IT turned by the' 'cam followe'r leversfi' and 9; the 'head iis'movedl ,eitlrer'tow'ard' the workl againstV thej tension of' thesprin 18; joraway from' 'the work. Theseten ion= 'sp1'in'gs lflare carried'iby,crossemernber `lj'fslidable head' 15 4 andhave screw-threaded the'rein horizontally ext'endingscrew-threadedstd 2D 'formig the supportirn-g shaftcarrying the feedl gear 2l`,`engaginggr'a-r 22; secured" to, the stationary vertically diposed V'shaft 23,: which is supported: at` i'tsflower` en'dfby'frameplate 3` and at it's'upper end ,by gear housing' 21|,` having therein 'drive gears 25 Yand 25' foridrivingfthe hollowshaft V'-21 rotatablei in bearing `at` its top'andin hbeari'ng 29a't` its lower' end,A 'and' by 'a fiange intermediate 'it'sjends carries and 'rot'ate'or oscil'latesthehousing 3B having'therein `the cutter feedf mechanismj Referring to Fig; 3', thevelectric'rnotor 31 drives the' shaft, 32 thrcmg'hV puneys sand 34* by ten ,352 the' shaft 32 having' thereon'a worm ge'ar'of a suitable' design, whereby the Vertical shaft 36, having secured to it crank 31', is rotated and in so doing oscillates gear segment '38 .through-connectingrod 39'. The segment gearl 38" engages gear-:'40 on the Vertical shaft' 4| 'to' which the gear 25 is secure'd, and the gears 25.' and '25' are supported' in suitablebearngswithin :the housing' 2'4. The gear'i`25`, engaging gear 25' which issecuredQ to the hollow' shaft' 27', oscillates the feed' mechanism enclosing'housing 30 and the i cutte'r-*fed mechanism therein.` shaftfztl issup- `Numera1 49 refers to a slide-way having slidable therein, for adjusting the time that the cutter reaches the end' of the cut in one direction, the carriage 50 adjustable longitudinally of the slide-way 49 for timing the end of the cut of the cutter which adjustment ismade'by handwheel 5| having extending therefrom through the carriage 50 or nut thereof, screw-threaded "stud 5I'. The carriage 50 has extending upwardly from its top, rod 52 which engages the horizontally'extending rod 53 for'operating the down or Verticall ,feed mechanism, as shown inv Figure 6'of thedrawing's, and which is operated for feeding the cutter 54 downward. The said rod 53, extending from ratchet head. 55, has therein ratchet pawl 56 engaging ratchet wheel 51 which is secured to the externallyscrew-threaded bearing member '58, for the cutter spindle 59 carrying the cutter 54=and rotatable in ,bearing' member 58.v Thesaid bearing member 58 is screw-threaded through bearing nut 69 of the 'extension 6| of the head V|5 slidable inframe |4. The 'spindle 59, carrying the cutter 54, is rotated bypulley 62 secured-tofthe spindle'and is vdriven by belt 63 in turn' drivenbyelectric motor 64. Downward- 1y` extendingj rod 65, secured to the nut 69, serves as' afstop for'the horizontally Vextending ratchet Operating rod 53. Numeral l66 reprsents an eyebolt .screw-'th'readed into the vertical shaft 23 and serves to, lift the heavier portion of vthezmachine from the frame and plate 3.

, Piston rings have heretofore been produced by firstopreparingalcircular blank of castfiron, the approxirnate thi'ckness of thfe finished piston ring, either by casting a cylinderfof considerable length andcutting ,the ring blank therefrom, or by casting each blanl: individua1ly;,cutting through the blankto produce two. freeends vwith the required gap `between [the ends, springingtheV ring until the two free ends contacted each other; clamping one or more of the ring' blanks betweenvannular flanges having' about the same diameter as that of the finished ring, and while clamped, mounting the whole in a lathe and machining the blanl; to the diameter desired that would fit the diameter ofthe cylinder bore of the enginefor which the ring was intended.-. Eiston rings produced by the method above described, when mounted on apiston within thebore of ,a cylinder, do not,l contact the wall ofthe cylinder throughoutv thelcircumference of .the ring.v There Aare gapsl'atldiiferent places between the ring and the cylinder wall through which leakage of pressure will take place, thereby causing a waste of pressure energy.

Should the ring by chance contact the'cylinder wall throughout its `circumference, the pressure with whichiit contacts the cylinder ,wall will not be uniform andtherefore pressure will generate between the periphery of the ringtand the cylinder wall, which pressure will cause the ring to spring inward1y,.thus leaving a' ;gap lthrough whichthe pressurewill leakpast the ringvand cause, a reduction in effective lpressure against the piston head and, as. in mtrnaiL combustion engines, will not only cause a reduction in horsepower of the engine, but also an increase in fuel consumed.

In the production of piston rings with my improved machine tool, before starting production of piston rings of a given size, I first machine a ring to approximately the required circumferential form, and fit that ring into the cylinder of a diameter the ring is intended for until the ring bears with the required or uniform pressure against the cylinder wall, From this master ring, I generate the'cams 6 and'l to a form that will move the milling cutter 59 horizontally in and out as it is swung around the ring and carried by the extension 6| of the head l 5. This in-andout Vmovement of the cutter, combined with its circuit around the ring, produces by the rotation of themilling cutter, a piston ring in duplicate of themaster ring, va piston ring that exactly will fit the cylinder and exert uniform pressure throughoutV itsV circumference. However, should it' bedesired 'to cause more or less pressure against the cylinder'wall by the piston ring, the cams fand ,1 can be altered until the desired pressures are obtained. In the milling cutter's circuit'around the ring blank, which is secured to the platen 4' ofv the machine, it is fed downwardly'by stud 53 extending upward from adjusti ,able carriage 5.and "engaging the vratchet rod 52, swings the'rod 53 as the cutter head |5 is turned and'thereb'y operates the -feed ratchet mechani'sm and turns the externally screwthreaded bearing, member 58, thereby screwing the vbejaring downwardly thereby feeding Athe millingcutter downward until the whole outer periphery of the ring blank is machined and a piston ring of desiredcircumferential cam form is completed, vl'romthe above description, it'will be seenlthat all piston rings produced by'the machine employing the same lfeed cams willbe exact: dup'licates, and of an eXterior-circumference conforming to the shape for which the/cams 6 and 1 were generated or shaped to produce'by the rollers IO swinging thel arms 8 and 9, and

, thereby turning screw-threaded studs IB and I'l,

and spindle 59' towards thework being ;mav chined when the. arm 8 israised by the roller IO traver's'ing'the lcam 6, and the stud l'l by the left hand thread thereon, moving the cutter 59`likewise to stud 16, but outward and away from the worl, thus it will be seen, able'periphel'al cam form can be machinedby the 'provision of the desired shaped cams 6- and "l.

It is to be understood that the cams^6 and 'I employed when machining Va piston ring are of sufiicient length to relieve the ends of the piston ring blank only, and when machining cams of irregular shape the cams 6 and 7 areof suflicient length to feedthe cutter 54 'toward or away Vfrom the work in response to the shape of the cam being machined; which when machining a heart shaped' cam, 'each of the cams 6 and 'I would be equal to one half the peripheral length of the cam, and should the cam to be machined have a wave `peripherical form, 'the cam 6 would have the form of one'half the peripheral length of'th'e cam being machined while the cam 'l would have i a ring of any reason- Having describediv my' improved machine`` tool for producing piston ringsiand-otherexterior cam-like structures, I`olaiml:' v

I. In a machine toolof the'classjdescr-ibed, in

combination with' a supportingf frame having-J a Ahaving thereon` a cutter supporting. extension, the

said head being slidable in thejopposite direction b-y a miter' gear havinga s'ycrew-threfaded shaft engaged by the' stationaryzmiter gear supported on the" vertically di'spose'd stationary shaft and yieldingly secured' to the' first named head having the said cutter supporting extension carrying a down feedable externall'y screw-threaded cutter spindle bearing sleeve turnable by a ratchet only a portion of its circumference at each circuit scribed by the cutter supporting extension and head thereof; the said ratchet feed mechanism comprising a slideway secured to the top plate of the machine; a slidable carriage adjustable longitudinally of the slideway by a manually operable screw and having an upwardly extending post for engaging a'horizontally extending rod carried by the housing of the ratchet paul for turning the said bearing sleeve by the screw threads thereof feeding the said sleeve and cutter downwardly; a spur gear secured to the aforesaid tubular shaft above the feed mechanism housing thereon, for rotatably oscillating the said' housing; a second spur gear engaging the first named spur gear and secured to a vertically disposed shaft having thereon below the-top plate of the k machine a smaller spur gear whereby the said shaft is turned; a segment gear engaging the said smaller gear for rotary oscillation of said smaller gear; a crank pin on said segment gear engaging a connecting rod extending therefrom to a horizontally rotated crank secured to a vertical shaft extending from a reducing gear mechanism associated With a horizontally disposed shaft having thereon a pulley driven by a belt extending from a motor; a second horizontally disposed shaft slidable in a supporting bracket on the machine's frame for clutch engagement with the first named horizontally disposed shaft and having thereon a hand wheel for engagng and turning the first named horizontally disposed shaft for setting the machine for operation on the Work to be machined, and cam plate located above the aforesaid work supporting platen-h'aving thereon cams for sliding the aforesaid cutter extension supporting head by the aforesaid screw threads extending through the aforesaid frame and turned by cam follower levers engaging and raised by the said cams as the feed mechanism housing is oscillated.

2. In a machine tool of the class described, in combination with a supporting frame having a top plate member, a work supporting platen and a vertically extending stationary shaft'secured to the said top plate and having secured thereto a stationary miter gear adjacent the lower end "thereofijatubular: shaft surroundin-githe said V'shaft and having'therein a:s1idable framemov- 'able 1`in one direction by a pair of heiicaltension Springs having extending throughone of its. ends a pair' of screw-threaded studs, whereby is Jmoved a slidable head within the said frame,uhaving thereon al cutterV supportifng` extension, the said headbeing slidable A4in the opposite direction by 'a miter gear havingl` a screw-threaded shaft enga'ged by the stationary miter gearv supported Von the verticallydisposed stationary-*shaft and' yieldinglysecured ,to the first 'named` head having the said cutter supporting extension carrying adown feedable externally screw-threaded cutter: sp'indle b'ea'ringsleeve turnab'le by a vratchet onli7 a por'- :tion of its circumference at" each circui't scribed by the cutter supporting extension and head vthereoff; the said ratchet feedmechanism comprisin'g` a slideway secured to the top plate of' the machine; a'slidable :carriage adjustable-longituidinally ofV the slideway by a` manually operable f screwand having? an upwardly extending post for engaging a horizontally extending rod carried by the'housing of the ratchet paul for turning the said bearing sleeve and by the screw threads thereof feeding the said sleeve and cutter downwardly; `a spur gear secured to the aforesaid tubular shaft above the feed mechanism housing thereon, for rotatably oscillating the said housing; a second spur gear engaging the first named spur gear and secured to a vertically disposed shaft havingl'thereon below the top plate of the machine a smaller spur gear whereby the said shaft is turned; a segment gear engaging the said smaller` gear for rotary oscillation of said smaller gear; a Crank pin on said segment'gear engaging a connecting rod extending therefrom to a horizontally rotated crank secured to a Vertical shaft extending from a reduci'ng gear mechanism associated with a'horizohtally vdisposed shaft having thereon a pulley driven by a belt extending 'from a motor.

3. In a machine tool of the class described, in

combination with a supporting frame having a i top plate member, a work supporting platen and a vertically extending stationary shaft secured to the said top plate and having secured thereto a stationary miter gear adjacent the lower end thereof; a tubular shaft surrounding the said stationary shaft and rotatable in bearings supported by said stationary shaft; a cutter feed mechanism housing carried by the said tubular shaft and having therein a slidable frame movable in one directionvby a pair of helical tension Springs and having extending through one of its ends a pair of screw threaded studs, whereby is moved a slidable head within the' said frame, having thereon a cutter supporting extension, the said head being slidable in the opposite direction by a miter gear having a screW-threaded shaft engaged by the stationary miter gear supported on the vertically disposed stationary shaft and yieldingly secured to the first namedv head having the said cutter supporting extension carrying'a down feedable externally screw-threaded cutter spindle bearing sleeve turnable by a ratchet only a portion of its circumference at each circuit scribed by the cutter supporting extension and head thereof;A the said ratchet feed mechanism comprising ar slideway secured to the top plate of the machine; a slidable carriage adjustable longitudinally of the slideway by a manually operable screw and having an upwardly extending post for engaging a horizontally extending rod carried by the housing of the ratchetA paul for turning the said bearing sleeve and vby the screw threads thereof feeding the saidsleeve and cutter downward.

4. In a machine tool of the classdescribed, in combination with a supporting frame having a top plate member, a work supporting platen and a Vertically extending stationary shaft secured to the said top plate and having secured thereto a stationary miter gear adjacent the lower end thereof; a tubular shaft surrounding the said stationary shaft and rotatable in bearings supported by said stationary shaft; a cutter feed mechanism housing carried by the said ltubular shaft and having therein a slidable frame movlable in one direction by a pair of helical tension springs and having extending through one of its ends a pair of screw-threaded studs, whereby is moved a slidable head within the said frame, having thereon a cutter supporting extension, the said head being slidable in the opposite direction by a miter gear having a screw-threaded shaft engaged by the stationary miter gear` supported on the vertically disposed stationary shaft and yieldingly secured to the first named head having the said cutter supporting extension carrying a down feedable externally screw-threaded cutter spindle bearing sleeve. tumable by a ratchet only 'a'portion ofits circumference at each circuit scribed by the cutter supporting extension and head thereof. f

5. In a machine tool of the class described, in combination With a supporting frame having a top plate member, a work supporting platen'and a vertically extending stationary shaft secured to the saidtop plate and having secured thei'eto a stationary miter gear adjacent the lower end thereof; a tubular shaft surrounding the said stationary shaft and rotatable in bearings supported by said stationary shaft; a cutter 'feed mechanism housing carried by the said tubular .shaft and having therein'a slidable frame mov- .able |in one direction by a pair of helical tension Springs and having extending through one of its ends a pair of screW-threaded studs, whereby is moved a slidable-head within the said frame, having thereon a cutter supporting extension.

DONALD i). WALLACE. 

